Quick Lane Bowl Central
Day Two Photo Gallery

Practice & Meeting the Press
The NIU Football team's second day at the Quick Lane Bowl began with a trip to Ford Field for the first of two official practices at the game site.  The Huskies took the field at 9:30 a.m. and went through an hour-long workout in helmets and shorts with heavy emphasis on special teams.  Following the practice, NIU head coach Rod Carey and four Huskie players – Detroit natives Mycial Allen and Jalen Embry, All-America defensive end Sutton Smith and quarterback Marcus Childers – met with the local media.   
 
 
Press Conference Highlights
Rod Carey on NIU senior – and Detroit native – Mycial Allen:
"Mycial [Allen], the growth that he's had from 18 to 22 years old is probably what most of us experience from 18 to 35. That's a credit to him. There were a lot of bumps in the road, and reasons for that, but where he's come to now and the leader and man that he's become, I couldn't be prouder of him."
 
Senior S Mycial Allen on the impact he can have on other kids from Detroit:
"Kids that I went to high school with, and younger kids, that I really try to keep in touch with and let them know that they can make it to the next stage. They see us doing what we do now and they're like, 'Oh yeah, I can do the same thing and go to the next level.' Anything that we are doing right now can carry on from not just one or two years, but maybe five, 10 to 15 years."
 
Junior CB Jalen Embry on what he would tell kids from Detroit about playing at the next level:
 "Personally, [I would tell them to] take high school seriously, not just on the field, but in the classroom because I struggled freshman and sophomore year with the grades and everything. That stopped me from playing, so I honestly would just tell the kids to just stay focused on the right things. You want to do something in life, no one can stop you but yourself."
 
Rod Carey on the best unit on the Huskie team this year, and on the most surprising group:
"The best group has really been, and I don't think anyone can doubt this, our defense. Our defense has led us. We're a defensive-led team this year, which is really different for us. We've had good defenses before, but it's always been matched by a really explosive offense. We have a defense that has truly led us this year. Now, inside of that, the group that has been most surprising, we probably came into the season with the most question marks on the defensive line side of it, and they have been probably the best surprise. Obviously, led by Sutton [Smith], who is the conference Player of the Year on defense. That's a pretty easy [answer] for me."
 
Sutton Smith on the identity of this Huskie team:
"We're ruthless, relentless, tough and fast. We are a very fast defense and a very fast offense. Defense I know mostly about because I'm on the defensive side, but we are very relentless. A lot of times, we don't give up big plays, some fluke plays, but every team is going to have some of those here and there. We're a hard-nosed team and a hard-nosed defense, so I think we'll have some fun on the 26th."
 
A Post-Practice Prize (Gift)
As the players left practice, members of the Quick Lane Bowl presented them with one of the most unique and individualized bowl gifts as each player received a giant Fathead of himself in action in a Huskie uniform.  The photos were selected by the NIU Athletics Communications staff and sent to the bowl, which had the Fatheads created.  Players immediately opened their boxes to see themselves in living color – and soon on a wall (or their parents' wall?) near them!

See more players with their Fatheads, follow niu huskies on Instagram.
 

These @Fathead are nice ! #QuickLaneBowl

— HARBO (@Harbison_III) December 23, 2017

Christmas Traditions
Today's "Christmas in Detroit" question of the day for Huskie players was "What is your favorite family Christmas tradition?"
 
Marcus Childers, QB
"My mom and dad buy us [Marcus, his brother and sister, as well as themselves] lottery tickets every year.  We get five lottery tickets and if we win, we split the money.  It's fun to scratch them off, see what we get.  One year I won $200 and my brother won $400, that's the most we've ever got."
 
Trequan Smith, DB
"Christmas breakfast is the tradition I'll miss.  We have everything – sausage, bacon, grits, eggs, fish, biscuits.  My grandma, my mom and my aunties cook and we have go to grandma's house in Boynton Beach (Florida), we eat breakfast and we exchange gifts."
 
For more Christmas tradition, follow niu huskies on Instagram.

 
 Uniquely Detroit Welcome Dinner
Day two officially ended with the Team Welcome Dinner that was so much more at the Henry Ford Museum in nearby Dearborn. First, the teams gathered in the theatre to hear from three impressive speakers who talked about Life After Football and how to prepare for it.  Former Detroit Lions Lomas Brown and Herman Moore, as well as a former college basketball player who is now a Vice President at Ford Motor Company, Frederiek Toney. After their presentation, both teams, coaches and administrations enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the museum, and had a chance to walk around the exhibits afterward.  The student-athletes saw sights such as the bus that Rosa Parks sat in during the Civil Rights protest era, the limousine where President Kennedy was shot as well as the original Mustang and other, unique exhibits.
 

The stage is set! @DukeFOOTBALL and @NIU_Football are excited to hear from Ford Motor Company Vice President, Frederiek Toney, and former @Lions legends Herman Moore and Lomas Brown. pic.twitter.com/1RClvs36Hp

— Quick Lane Bowl (@quicklanebowl) December 23, 2017

 
Looking Ahead
On the last day of organized bowl activities, the Huskies will once again practice at Ford Field – with a little later start time. Immediately after practice, the team and coaches will head to Gleaners Food Distribution where they will spend 90 minutes packing produce to support school-based mobile pantries. The team, coaches and families will enjoy a family Christmas Eve dinner.